Running For Clean Water...

Almost a year ago, I finished a Women in Youth Ministry Cohort that had a significant impact on my life.  It stretched and challenged me in ways that have changed me personally as well as how I approach ministry (you can read more about my experience here 10 Months...One Defining Chapter).  To be honest, when I was surrounded by a group of women youth pastors who were asking hard questions AND holding me accountable on a monthly basis, I was somewhat forced (not in a bad way) to face the very things that scared me.  As a result, I have said yes to A LOT of things I didn't ever think I would say yes to, I have taken risks that typically would have been squelched by my fears, and I am learning (still in process) that the things that take us so far out of comfort zone are the very same things that draw us into this deep dependency on God that we could have never imagined.   That dependency is real in my life right now, because...I am training for a marathon!

It's funny how God "works all things together for the good of his purposes," as I was reminded twice this morning as we sang in worship and as I did my devotions (yup...he's trying to tell me something).  Towards the end of the cohort, I was invited on a trip to Africa to visit some clean water projects that World Vision and Nazarene Compassionate Ministries were working on in partnership with 30 Hour Famine.  That trip scared me mostly due to the team of people I was traveling with and my feelings of inadequacy to be a part of that team (you can read about that experience here Finding Myself In Africa).  Once I faced my fears and got on the plane to meet my team, I was able to experience things I could have never experienced.  I also saw things that would break me.  I spent time with children in a village singing and dancing and it was in that very same village that we would dance our way on a long walk in search of water.  When we arrived at the water hole, it was not clean water.  It wasn't water I would bathe in and it certainly wasn't water I would want to give my son to drink.  The reality of lack of clean water in the world was staring me in the face.  And as it stared me in the face, I stared into the faces of the children whose very hands I held for whom this was their reality.

In that same village, World Vision had begun to make a significant impact.  A well had been put in not too far from the dirty water hole we had visited.  We had the privilege of watching the well be fixed that day and the even greater privilege of watching the people's faces as clean water began to pump into their buckets.  I am not even sure I can put that joy into words, but I can still hear the sounds of the singing even as I type.  Clean water can have a serious impact on an entire community...bringing life, joy, and hope.

Back to the cohort.  On our last day of the cohort we got to write affirmations for each person in our group.  It was a a way to encourage, affirm, and challenge each member of our group as we parted ways after our 10 month journey together.  To be honest, I was blown away by the words that were spoken to me during that time.  Women I had journeyed with called things out in me that I couldn't see in myself, they affirmed me for the places I had chosen to face my fears and trust God, and then they challenged me to start taking risks.  One women in particular said, "I challenge you to train for and run a marathon (by the way...running by myself was one of my fear things...long story)."  I knew the second she said it out loud and challenged me to it, it wouldn't escape me.

Wouldn't you know...you can run for World Vision.

This October, Nate and I, along with some friends have made the commitment to run for Team World Vision.  Run for Water...Run for Life.  We are in week 9 of training and we are heavily invested.  It's been the hardest 9 weeks of my life physically (more to come in a blog soon).  There have been 3 mile days and there have been 13 mile days and there are 20 mile days coming.  We are not natural runners.  This is stretching us and challenging us beyond belief.  We have committed to raising $1500 each on top of our expenses to travel, register and stay in Chicago.  Those figures alone are out of our comfort zone.  Without a doubt, we know this is what God is calling us to do.  He's invited us into his awesome kingdom work and we are blown away by that.  So we run.  Every day.  We trust.  Every day.  And we continue to get out of comfort zone.  Why?  Because there are kids he cares about in Africa that are literally dying for clean water.  And I believe those kids were made to dance.

Want to help?  Want to support?  Pray for us first...we need it.  Think about supporting financially.  Check out my fundraising page here Team World Vision and consider giving a donation.  Every dollar matters.